Are hard boiled eggs the secret to immortality?

culled from:pulse.ng

The key to the Fountain of Youth might lie, in your refrigerator. In a hard-boiled egg, to be exact.

A team of scientists from California and Australia might have unlocked one of life’s biggest secrets when they discovered how to 'unboil' an egg.

Yes, you read that right. Unboiling is actually possible.

“They figured out how to untangle the proteins that get mixed together when an egg is cooked,” explains cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller.

The beauty angle? Imagine if we could do the same with the proteins in our hair and skin.

“The ultimate beauty invention would be a ‘protein unscrambler’ that would let us control the bend in our hair or even prevent a wrinkle.”

If this technology does eventually have practical applications in hair or skin care, according to Schueller, it would most likely be in the area of reversing damage to hair or skin proteins.

For example, it could possibly lead to a product that allows us to reconfigure the shape of hair from straight to curly and back to straight again.

We can only hope for this miracle to be actualised.

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Facts about wigs you didn't know about

culled from:pulse.ng

The good news is that You got a gorgeous new wig because of it's long, real hair that makes you look like whole lot like yourself in your imagination.

The major problem is that it's constantly tangling.

Anyone who has worn a wig or weave will tell you that this struggle is real.

Synthetic, natural, expensive, inexpensive, what ever they might be, they all end up in knots.

Luckily, hairstylist Kim Kimble, who works with celebs like Beyoncé and Shakira, has some expert ways to prevent this and to detangle.

Here are her top tips.

"Tangling can depend a lot on how well the wig is made and whether the cuticles are all going in the right direction or if it's been processed with some kind of chemical or color; if the hair has been laid in wrong or it's been treated, then it's more likely to tangle. But any wig will tangle more than your real hair because your scalp produces natural oils that keep hair from drying out and getting caught in itself, and of course wigs do not do that", says Kimble.

"The first thing you have to do is use the proper shampoo and conditioner, a very mild, not-stripping shampoo, and both products should be sulfate-free and have a low pH. I like to set the wig on a wig head and shampoo it on the head so that it keeps its shape.

"When you wash it, you can't scrub it like you'd scrub your hair. You have to run your fingers through it like a comb, rubbing your fingers through it as you go and kind of squeezing it. You want to rinse it very well by dipping it into water and pulling it out.

"You have to be gentle. How often you're shampooing depends on how often you're wearing your wig. If you're not exercising in it and not putting a ton of products in it that are building up and you're taking it off to go to sleep at night, you shouldn't be washing it more than once a week."

"The best time to comb it is when you're combing conditioner through the wet hair.

"Then you let it dry and brush it again. Use a wig brush that's made for extensions and wigs, those little plastic ones work great; a boar-bristle brush works well, too.

"If you're working out a tangle, you want to start at the ends of your hair first—you should be doing this with your real hair, too—if you start from the top and go down, you make the tangle bunch up more. If you have extensions in, you want to hold the base when you brush or comb."

"The main thing is using alcohol-free hair products. And the same kind of low-pH shampoo and conditioners we talked about earlier; sulfate-free products that won't strip the hair.

"My K2 Beauty Untangle Conditioner is made especially for gently detangling extensions. Leave-in conditioners are great, too."

"I've found that wearing certain fabrics, like wool or anything that's really fibrous, or anything that has a bulky collar tends to cause your hair to ball up on the back of your neck".

"It doesn't happen as often if you're wearing silkier fabrics, and it doesn't happen as often if you have a straighter-hair wig but you will have to brush out this spot periodically during the day to prevent tiny tangles from becoming bigger problems".

"It is difficult to simply solve this issue, but I've found that attaching some tracks in the back of a hand-tied wig helps keep it from getting tangled at the nape because it makes a little heavier in that spot.

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Do you know there are makeup removers for phones?

culled from:pulse.ng

Even if you're a clean freak, there's no escaping at least a few smudges of makeup on your phone.

If you're not, you may be in the camp of people whose phones contain as many germs as a public toilet seat.

All of that cloudiness you see is made up of oil, makeup, and other residue that can accumulate and then cause some major issues for your skin.

"All of that dirt and bacteria can quickly break you out," says Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

"Sure, Clorox wipes are effective at disinfecting surface germs, but come to think about it, Do you really want to be putting bleach on your face the next time you answer a call? Not the most appealing thought."

That's where Whoosh, a nontoxic cleaning spray made specifically for removing makeup and fingerprints from mobile devices, comes in.

It's free of alcohol, ammonia, chlorine, and phosphates.

If you don't want those things in your beauty products, why would you want them on your phone?

Spritz a little Whoosh on the screen, rub with the included antimicrobial cloth, and your phone or tablet will gleam like that first time you peeled off the plastic.

Whats more? The spray also leaves behind an invisible fingerprint-resistant coating on the surface of the screen, gunk won't accumulate as easily.

Yes, a makeup remover for your tech gadgets is a little extravagant, but if it means never again having a weird, inexplicable breakout on one side of your face, we think it's totally worth it.

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The best ways to reduce your pores

culled from:pulse.ng

You know one of those days when you wake up and you suddenly feel like your pores are as wide as your nostrils?

Yup, they can be a makeup disaster for every chic.

So what do you do when you need your make up to sit just right on a smooth surface?

Large pores could mean two things: You'll need to cleanse your skin day and night and exfoliate regularly.

A scrub or cleansing brush paired with a mild face wash does the trick to get rid of dirt and oil, but if your skin can't handle exfoliation every day, use a cleanser with salicylic acid on off days.

"Even if your skin is sensitive, gentle exfoliation with a cleansing brush is usually tolerated on the nose, where skin is thick and oily," Hale says.

"You can also try working a retinoid (the umbrella term for anti-aging ingredients including retinol and retinoic acid) into your skin-care routine."

"As we age, we lose the collagen that supports our pores," Hale says. "A retinoid helps build that collagen back up. Just don't use one of these products in combination with a cleansing brush. That'll irritate the skin."

If you would like to take it a step further there are also procedures that your dermatologist can perform to reduce the appearance of pores, Hale says.

"A series of three to five Fraxel laser treatments will tighten collagen around pores, but there's also photodynamic therapy [PDT], which shrinks the oil glands that are associated with pores and makes them appear smaller."

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Read this woman's experience with eyebrow extensions

culled from:pulse.ng

LeeAnn Dugan, a beauty editor for refinery29.com shares her experience getting eyebrow extensions.

Needless to say, with her shaky foundation at eyebrow care, her eyebrows were not at their best.

"For years, I overplucked myself into skinny '90s arches. When a fuller look came into fashion, I continued to overpluck, because that is the only way I knew, only to repent with a thousand tiny strokes of my Dior Brow Styler."

"When i was offered the chance to get eyebrow extensions, I jumped at it, despite the fact that I had no idea what an eyebrow extension was."

"Wink, a small, bright salon that opened in the West Village in March 2014 and offers a full menu of lash and brow-perfecting treatments, from threading and tinting to extensions."

"Umbreen, the CEO, turned me over to my "Brow Bar Artisan" Temzin, who started with a quick threading. I was shocked to discover this did not hurt at all."

"Umbreen explained that the salon uses a proprietary silk thread to ensure painless removal. It made me feel fancy knowing that somewhere, there were silkworms dedicated to helping me achieve my dream brows."

"Temzin then applied a custom-mixed, vegetable-based dye to my brows, a process I admit I was a bit skeptical about. But, despite the dye's application lending me a certain Bert-like air, I became a believer once it was wiped away."

"Between the threading and tinting, I already had expertly shaped, surprisingly fuller looking brows. The brow shape and tint together took about 20 minutes."

"Her tools were a two-inch strip to which hundreds of tiny, synthetic hairs were attached (they come in hundreds of different shades and lengths to match your natural brow hair), a white plastic ring filled with a skin-safe glue, and a pair of tweezers."

"She carefully peeled off one hair at a time, dipped exactly one-10th of it into the glue, and applied each one either to my existing brow hair, or to my bare skin, stopping to check the shape every so often."

'A complete set of brand-new brows like I received costs $250 and can take up to two hours, but less extensive fill-ins take less time and range from $40 to $185".

"When I finally sat up in my seat and regarded the finished product, the finished result was impressive."

"I had the perfect shape, Brooke Shields-worthy fullness, and my face felt defined as it never had before. It occurred to me that someone like me — with a fuller face — needs full brows to match.

"You can't see the glue at all, or detect a difference between the synthetic and natural hairs."

She says aftercare was simple: "Leave your brows be (no water or scrubbing) for 24 hours while the glue fully sets."

"For the first two days, I treated my brows like two little Gizmos, convinced any water would mean immediate disaster".

"When I finally broke down and washed my face like a normal person, I was pleased to see it didn't affect my extensions".

"It's now two weeks later, and I'm pretty impressed with how long this has lasted. Extensions are meant to gradually shed or fall out on their own, and generally last about three weeks before you need a refill."

"As expected, my brows are beginning to look a bit less full, but I just fill in with a powder, and it doesn't take much to boost me back to that full-browed goddess look".

"While extensions are most certainly a #treatyoself situation, I've become 100% convinced that, for special occasions or if your look really needs a boost, it pays to put yourself in the hands of a professional."

View photos of LeeAnn Dugan before, during and after the eyebrow extensions in gallery.

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The foilyage colour is spanking new and hot!

culled from:pulse.ng

No, that wasn't a misspelled term for describing the spring leaves blooming on trees.

Foilyage is a brand-new color method to add to your hair lexicon, especially if natural-looking, sun-kissed highlights à la Miranda Kerr are what you're going for.

Blonde Hair colour shades are now, so yesterday.

Developed by colorist Hitomi Ikeda of New York City's Louis Licari Salon, the process marries the painterly technique of balayage with the vibrant color payoff of foil highlights.

The traditional balayage technique involves painting dye directly onto the surface of the hair, completely freehand, but the process can be messy.

"I don't really like to balayage the whole head, because it always comes out too piece-y in the root area, and you have to add extra heat to the hair to lift the color," says Ikeda.

"To do ombré with all foils, you have to do so much teasing to separate each area, and that's a lot of work for everyone involved. I tried to come up with a way to achieve the look using the painting technique, but wrapping the ends with foils to brighten them."

The pro keeps the top area natural, adds subtle highlights underneath, and armed with a BluSand Beauty Sprush, she paints a different dye on the ends, which then get sealed off in vertical strips of foil.

"The Sprush is like a sponge and brush combined, and helps me apply the color more evenly, almost like spreading butter," she adds.

"You end up with a very sun-kissed color, like you were just at the beach, but not all-over blonde. It doesn't look like you intentionally got your hair done."

Maintaining your colour

Just like the full-contrast ombré effect, foilyage is also easy to care for.

Since your base color remains intact at the top, you can go three to four months, or longer, between touch-ups.

Foilyage works on every hair length, color, and texture under the sun, but is especially big news for brunettes.

When darker hair hues are lifted, they tend to go brassy quickly depending on undertones, but with this technique, the foils allow for a more dramatic shift minus the yellow hints, or split end-inducing effects of sitting under a hair dryer waiting for the balayage to turn.

"To make it simple, ask your stylist to wrap the ends of your balayage in foils, with subtle highlights along your part and top layers that connect to the ombré on the ends," Ikeda advises.

"Everyone has their own method for foils and balayage, so it’s just about placement, and focusing the brightness on the ends."

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How to make mint toner for gorgeous skin

culled from:pulse.ng

A gorgeous skin is everyone's dream (especially ladies), when one is blessed with gorgeous skin, every other beauty routine come on seamless.

Most times skin reactions could be as a result of lifestyle habits from consuming lots of fatty/junk foods, not drinking enough water, not getting adequate sleep and more which all end up straining the skin which shows in form of breakouts etc.

Getting a gorgeous and healthy skin is an active thing to do as such, care should be taken and time dedicated to specially catering to the skin.

Mint leaves/oil work as a great antiseptic so they work wonders on the skin.

Mint leaves also work on most types of acne and remove acne scarring naturally without any side effects so it's brilliant.

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Practical tips for a good night's sleep

culled from:pulse.ng

On average, how much sleep do you get a night?

Yup, we thought as much. Fact is the uses of a good nights rest can never be underestimated.

Regardless of what Diddy and other celebrities say, you need to get a good night’s rest.

It’s important to your success and how you’re able to function each day.

Here are the tips to make it happen.

Turn of electronic devices

It’s amazing how many times a person can check their Facebook before they go to bed. Try your best to turn off your computer and other electronic devices at an appropriate hour. Another option is to set your phone blocking mode that will disable notification alerts for a set period of time.

Limit television

Now is not the time to start binge-watching your favorite show. If you’re truly serious about getting some shut eye you need to limit the amount of television you watch. Set late night shows to record so you can hit the sheets and recharge your brain for the next business day.

If you really need stimulation, read a book.

Eating late

Aside from your metabolism slowing past a certain hour, it’s generally not a good idea to eat late in the evening. Food in your stomach — or just feeling full — can and will keep you up at night. If possible, try to eat your last meal before 8pm.

Leave work at work

There’s a reason why jobs have business hours. You aren’t suppose to work the entire day. Do yourself and your household a favor by leaving your work for the office. Unless an absolute must, do your best not to bring anything work-related home. Just relax and enjoy your down time.

Let go of worry

What’s the point of worrying about a situation you might not be able to control? Too many people are experiencing restless nights because they can’t shut off their minds from analyzing and over-thinking decisions. If you didn’t figure it out in one day there’s really no point in staying up half the night trying to find an answer.

Watch your naps

Power naps that last 15 to 30 minutes are okay, especially if you feel super tired. Many professionals have no problem using some of their lunch break to watch the back of their eyelids. This however does not mean you should nap longer than a half hour as it can be counterproductive to your nightly sleep endeavors.

Check your environment

Well no wonder you find it hard to sleep at night! Just look at your bedroom. You need to be in a quiet room (or as quiet as possible) that’s dimly lit. Too many distractions like lighting and noise can make it harder to sleep.

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Muscle building supplements now a cause of testicular cancer

culled from:pulse.ng

A new study has found that men who used pills and powders to supplement their workouts had an increased risk of developing testicular cancer.

From professional bodybuilders to high-school sports teams, millions of men have been taking muscle-building supplements for many years.

However, a recent study published in the British Journal of Cancer claims that taking muscle-building supplements results in an increased risk of testicular cancer.

The results of the study included pills and powders containing creatine or androstenedione, and stated that men who started taking supplements before the age of 25 had a higher risk of developing cancer.

While much more research needs to be done on testicular cancer, the relationship between supplement use and cancer was strong, according to the study.

Nearly 900 men from Massachusetts and Connecticut participated in the study.

Accounting for race, age, and other demographics, researchers still found that men had a 65-percent greater risk of developing cancer when they were supplement users.

The percentage increased for those who started taking supplements before the age of 25, and for those who took multiple supplements.

“If you used at earlier age, you had a higher risk. If you used them longer, you had a higher risk. If you used multiple types, you had a higher risk,”said Tongzhang Zheng, who led the study at Yale University.

Will this, coupled with the news that some supplements contain untested amphetamines, scare you off these types of products?

We'll see.

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Science proves that the right food combos are the perfect remedy

culled from:pulse.ng

A revolutionary study has suggested that the glycemic content of foods may be the key to weight loss, so much of the conventional wisdom on dieting may be missing the mark.

Low fat alternatives and religious calorie counting have become synonymous with dieting for weight loss, but new research seems to suggest that we may have been getting it wrong.

Researchers at Tufts University from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy have analyzed data from three studies over 16 years, involving 120,000 adults and have made some interesting discoveries.

The results seem to indicate that the best recipe for weight loss lies in adding certain foods to the diet and avoiding others, but the weight gain culprits may not be the usual suspects and calories may not be king.

It was discovered that eating dairy products, such as butter and cheese, didn’t seem to have much effect on weight either way and had the side-effect of leading to a more dangerous dietary habit.

“The fat content of dairy products did not seem to be important for weight gain,” Jessica Smith, one of the authors of the report, is quoted by Consumer Affairs as saying.

“In fact, when people consumed more low-fat dairy products, they actually increased their consumption of carbs, which may promote weight gain."

"This suggests that people compensate, over years, for the lower calories in low-fat dairy by increasing their carb intake.”

The results seem to indicate that the age-old tendency for calorie counting may be misleading. The research indicated that glycemic index is a more important factor.

The glycemic index or glycemic load (GL) is a measure of how quickly a food can raise blood sugar levels. Foods with a high GL, like simple sugars, are more likely to make it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it, but the key may lie in the mixtures of foods that you eat.

Avoiding foods with a high GL, and eating those with a low GL, seemed to make fish, nuts and other food associated with weight loss even more effective.

Weight-neutral foods like eggs appear to contribute to weight gain when combined with high GL food, but they are associated with weight loss when eaten with low GL food. So it may be most important to pay attention to the combinations of foods rather than cutting out individual items.

“Our study adds to growing new research that counting calories is not the most effective strategy for long-term weight management and prevention,” study senior author Dariush Mozaffarian said.

“Some foods help prevent weight gain, others make it worse. Most interestingly, the combination of foods seems to make a big difference.”

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Why you should pay attention to your vagina

culled from:pulse.ng

We wax, pluck, scrub, and spray in attempts to maintain appearance or smell.

We put our ladybits through ridiculous routines and insert things in them that definitely do not belong.

At the end of the day, your vagina would still give you a knock on the head if it had a chance.

What some women may not understand is that the vagina is extremely sensitive to some of these customs.

It's all fun and games until you make your vagina super-angry and you're curled up in a ball wishing you'd never treated her poorly.

Sure, she's high-maintenance and may require a little TLC now and again, but you only have one vagina.

So, learn how to treat her right!

Here are 8 things your vagina desperately wants you to know.

1.Do not use soap to clean

Ladies, you want to keep her clean, but using soap is NOT the way to do that. Yes, it's okay to use mild soap on the outside but lathering your labia is a big no no.

Soap creates a pH imbalance and leads to all kinds of infections that scratching certainly won't help. Screaming for the pain to stop? Eh, that might work.

Studies reveal that "the vagina is a self-cleaning oven." You don't need anything fancy to clean yourself; all you really need is some warm water in the shower or bath and your vagina will do the rest.

Don't stress her out by making her susceptible to infections.

2. Shaving

You give yourself crazy bumps and ingrown hairs when you use that razor, but you do it anyway.

Shaving and waxing make your vagina feel smoother, look cleaner, and won't completely gross out your OB/GYN.

You'll also decrease the amount of bacteria and lice in your pubes, but how many ingrown hairs do you need to get before you realize what you're doing?

All those nasty things creeping in your pubic hair travel right down inside your vagina, since there's no barrier holding it back.

Use a razor with rust or built-up bacteria on it and you set yourself up for staph or molluscum. Neither of which are the even least amount of fun.

Unless you want to itch your vagina ALL DAY, put down the razor! Use a trimmer instead, yeesh.

3. Scented tampons

Some consider tampons themselves to be dangerous because of the long-term effects and the chemicals used in production.

Dioxins, which are linked to cancer, are in tampons as well as most of the food we consume. There's also Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a deadly consequence of leaving your tampon in for too long or using them too frequently.

So whether or not you choose to wear tampons, please don't use scented.

They're not only bad for you, but pretty much pointless. Actually, you might just want to stay away from anything scented that you put on or near your genitals.

4. Douche, ouch!

Maybe you feel like you can make yourself super-clean downstairs by douching but you're actually causing more damage than you think.

According to Lauren Streicher, an OB/GYN and clinical professor, "douching promotes the growth of bacteria and may increase your risk of pelvic inflammatory disease by transporting chlamydia or gonorrhea up into the uterus. In addition, vinegar and betadyne in douches can dry vaginal walls and increase inflammation."

Essentially, you're covering up your problems with a douche.

Are you remembering to wipe front to back? Are you showering regularly? If you're really concerned for your vagina's cleanliness, seek medical attention that is not a stream of vinegar you shoot into yourself.

5. Exercise

Over time, your pelvic floor weakens from childbirth, weight gain, and aging.

According to Healthline, "The pelvic floor muscles support the womb, the bladder, and the bowels. If the muscles are weak, these pelvic organs may lower into a woman's vagina.

Besides being extremely uncomfortable, this can also cause urinary incontinence."

That's where kegel exercises come in. Just like you work out the other muscles in your body, kegels are exercise for your insides.

You can do them just about anywhere: on a plane, on a train, in a house, with a mouse ... you get the point.

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5 exercises for the best orgasms

culled from:pulse.ng

Yes, sex is definitely about intimacy, but who doesn't want to have an explosive orgasm while we're at it?

Having both parties climax can result in a steamy lovemaking session.

Obviously, what goes on between the sheets is a big part of that but we can prep for the big event with specific exercises that are great for a better orgasm.

"There is research indicating that exercising for 30 minutes directly before sex can boost your pleasure, and can be especially helpful for women who experience sexual side effects related to taking antidepressants," says Bianca Jarvis, a sex educator, artist and writer.

Researchers have also found that exercise alone can increase sexual arousal, and even induce orgasms!

The activities most frequently linked to exercise induced orgasms include climbing, weight lifting and abdominal exercises, says Jarvis.

Engaging core muscles to the point of fatigue, doing reps of abdominal muscles until you feel tired, may be key to reaching that elusive 'coregasm.'

Here's 5 ways to get physical.

1. Standing Hip Thrusts

Stepping forward with one leg keeping your toes facing forward and knees slightly bent, gently push your pelvis forward until you feel a mild stretch in your hips. Hold for 30 seconds then switch to repeat on the other side, says fitness expert Nadia Murdock.

2. Clams

Any move that helps to create a stronger lower body is needed in the bedroom, says Murdock. While lying on your side have your legs stacked in front of you at a 90-degree angle. Slowly lift the top leg while keeping your feet together and then release. Repeat this action for 25 sets then switch to repeat on the other side.

3. Kegels

Kegels work the muscles of the pelvic floor. These muscles are the same ones that contract and release during orgasm, says Dr. Laura Bennett-Cook, clinical sexologist.

Kegels consist of repeatedly contracting and releasing these muscles as if you were stopping yourself from peeing mid-stream. Kegels are beneficial for both men and women.

Consistently doing kegels has the ability to increase your sensitivity and intensify your orgasm.

4. Cardio

What’s good for your heart is also good for your sexy bits! Regular cardio strengthens your heart and increases your lung capacity.

Both of these are ideal for increasing your stamina in the bedroom, says Bennett-Cook. Regular exercise has the ability to heighten your self-esteem and your mood, both of which help you feel sexier all over.

Many times erectile dysfunction is due to poor blood circulation. Regular cardio exercise gets the blood flowing better and can greatly reverse this (what can be embarrassing) condition.

5. Planks

Planks are great for upping the orgasm ante.

"Planking on an instable surface like the StrongBoard Balance forces you to engage more muscle groups simultaneously with a main focus on your mid-section," Mike Curry,StrongBoard Balance creator and ACE certified fitness trainer.

This exercise is also great for getting those arms nice and tone.

For men, plank variations are great for stronger shoulders and arms to help a man hold you in any and every position to make sure he hits your pleasure spot just how you like it, says Curry.

Men need that stamina to make sure they finish the job.

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6 tips to prevent UTIs

culled from:pulse.ng

Urinary Tract Infections are an unfortunate part of womanhood, in fact, some health experts rank your lifetime risk of getting one as high as 1 in 2, with many women having repeat infections, sometimes for years on end.

Hence, the need to give you tips on how to prevent it, but before we go into that, a brief introduction and symptoms.

According to webmd, UTIs are a key reason we're often told to wipe from front to back after using the bathroom, that's because the urethra, the tube that transports urine from the bladder to the outside of the body, is located close to the anus.

Bacteria from the large intestine, such as E. coli, are in the perfect position to escape the anus and invade the urethra. from there, they can travel up to the bladder, and if the infection isn't treated, continue on to infect the kidneys.

Women may be especially prone to UTIs because they have shorter urethras, which allow bacteria quick access to the bladder, having sex can introduce bacteria into the urinary tract, too.

Symptoms of UTIs include:

• A burning feeling when you urinate
• A frequent or intense urge to urinate, even though little comes out when you do
• Pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen
• Cloudy, dark, bloody, or strange-smelling urine
• Feeling tired or shaky
• Fever or chills (a sign the infection may have reached your kidneys)

With all the above, it is really necessary to give you tips on how to prevent them;

1. Drink a lot of water- This is very necessary as it helps flush out toxins from your body.
2. Do not delay your micturition- Urination, the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the urinary meatus outside of the body, is also known medically as micturition. Do not delay going to the bathroom as this is the body's way of flushing waste, and holding it might aid the breeding of UTIs.
3. Take showers instead of baths.
4. Wipe from front to back after a bowel movement, also always fully empty your bladder.
5. Wash your genital area before and after sex.
6. Take vitamin C supplement in order to build your body's ammunition and resistance.

Endeavour to always do the above in order to avoid this unfortunately common infection.

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10 effective home exercises

culled from:pulse.ng

A lot of people think that you need to go the gym in order to have a toned body, but this not true as you do not necessarily need machines at the gym to get fit.

Your own body weight, gravity, combined with the below can do the job.

1. Circuit Train- Want to burn fat quickly? Rapid-fire circuits turn strength moves into calorie-torching, cardio work. "If your goal is weight loss, use light weights and low reps," says exercise physiologist Pete McCall, of the American Council on Exercise. A circuit may include push-ups, pull-ups, and crunches followed by a two-minute run. Repeat or alternate with another circuit of biceps curls, dips, and shoulder presses to target smaller muscles.
2. Pull-up- Pull-ups work arm and back muscles. Turn palms away to work more back muscles; or have the palms face you to target the biceps. Grasp the chin-up bar and cross your legs to keep the lower body stable. Slowly pull your body up, bending your elbows, until your chin is level with the bar.  Pause, then slowly return to your starting position. Repeat.
3. Wide Grip Push-up- A wide grip makes the chest muscles work a little harder. Place your hands outside the shoulders. You should engage your core, thigh, and glutes to get the most out of this or any push-up. As you lift, "Think about gripping the ground with your hands to engage the large muscles of the pectoralis major," McCall says.
4. Decline Push-up- This challenging push-up can kick your shoulder strength up a couple notches. Get into a standard push-up: hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart, fingers facing forward, elbows slightly bent, and eyes on the floor. Then place feet behind you on a sturdy chair or bench. Keep your body in a straight line, engage the abs, bend your elbows, and lower your chest towards the floor. Push back to starting position.
5. Jump Train for Power- Pro athletes train with jumping jacks and other explosive moves to increase muscle power. It helps basketball players jump higher and tennis players get to the ball faster. Jump training is also called plyometrics, and it's not for beginners or for those with joint issues. But if you have good strength and balance, it can ramp up your game. Try adding plyometric moves to your workout once or twice a week.
6. Jump Squat- Shift your hips back and down until your heels start to lift off the floor. Pause briefly and explode up, swinging the arms overhead as you straighten your legs. Create a straight line from toes to fingers, with your back flat. Land softly on the middle of your foot and sink back into a squat to help absorb the impact.
7. Jump Lunge-Try this advanced move on grass or another soft surface.  Sink into a lunge position with left leg forward, right leg back, and both knees bent to 90 degrees. Swing your arms behind you for greater power as you jump up, using your arms to assist as needed. Keep your back straight, eyes facing forward, and use your abs. Switch legs in the air and land softly, returning to the lunge position. Rest after each set.
8. Chair Dip- This simple move tones the backs of the arms. Sit on the edge of a step or chair, palms on each side, and knees bent to 90-degrees. Now, move your hips forward, off the step, until your hands are supporting your weight. Slowly lower your body, keeping your back very close to the step.  Bend the elbows until you upper arms are parallel to the floor. Slowly push back up and repeat.
9. Basic Plank- This move strengthens all the core muscles, helping to tone the mid-section. Lie on your stomach, elbows close to your sides and directly under your shoulders, palms down. Using your abs, slowly lift your torso off the floor, keeping your torso and legs steady. Don't let your low back sag and don't hike up your hips. Hold this position for 15 seconds or more -- and don't hold your breath!
10. Dynamic Plank- Try this advanced move only after mastering the traditional plank. Support your weight with chest and forearms on top of a fitness ball. Keep legs straight and toes on the floor and contract the abdominals to help stay balanced. Shift your weight to your left leg as you bend your right knee and bring it up to meet the ball; slowly return it to starting position and repeat. Switch legs.

With the above, you have no excuse not stay fit.

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